How To Know If You’re Too Obsessed With Jane Austen

Probably all of us on this site would answer that question with a resounding No! How could one possibly be obsessed with the greatest writer ever? Your family and loved ones, however, might have a different opinion, especially if you are guilty of any of the following:

You have three children, two girls and a boy. They are all named Darcy.

You started a petition to make December 16th a national holiday.

You speak to yourself with a British accent, even though you hail from the United States.

Your family never asks you what you want for Christmas. It’s a rhetorical question by now.

Your dog, whom you do not greatly fancy, is named Wickham.

You are the proud author of a ten page term paper listing the differences between the 1995 and 2005 film versions of The Greatest Book Ever Written. With footnotes.

At least half of your wardrobe consists of high waisted dresses with low necklines, but you only have two or three events a year where you can actually wear them.

You know exactly how to play commerce, whist and loo.

You grieved when you first discovered that Austen only wrote six major novels. Years later you’re still in mourning.

You can convert between British guineas and pounds and your native currency without using a calculator.

If horses and buggies were good enough for Jane Austen, they’re good enough for you too!

And last but not least:

You are in search of a dark, brooding, emotionally unavailable man with a superiority complex to be your life companion.

Feel free to add your own “You Know You’re Too Obsessed” items to this list by commenting below. I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

On a personal note, life has been exceptionally busy this last month or so. There are many changes coming to my full time job, and a member of our immediate family faces a serious illness. Besides those things I’m considering making another try for my third degree black belt in December, and of course my writing goes on in my “free” time! I hope next month to give you a definite date for the release of my newest novel, titled (for now) Duty Demands. Until next month, keep reading, and may your obsession with Jane Austen never cease!

35 Responses to How To Know If You’re Too Obsessed With Jane Austen

I often find an appropriate P&P quote to insert into the conversation. And I was friends with a real Anne Elliot until she moved away – probably to marry Captain Wentworth, right? I used to collect different illustrated editions of the novels so I could use the images in my JASNA Region’s newsletter. And my tea towels have Sir Walter, Mrs Elton, Mrs Ferrars, and Mrs Norris on them. We will not go into my JAFF collection, etc..

Loved the list, Elaine! Really fun! 🙂 None of those seem to apply to me but let’s see if I can add a few that do, such as
You constantly find comparisons between Austen stories and real life.
You refer to people by the Austen character they remind you of. Sayings like “Well, what do you expect from a Caroline Bingley” are not foreign to your conversations.

LOL I love that list! I don’t qualify for half of it, but it’s truly hysterical. I don’t have a dog yet, but I plan to get one in the Spring. I need to choose a name for him or her, and while I hate to compete with Melanie and her gorgeous Darcy, that name is still in the running if my puppy is a boy. 😉 I do have a Wickham in my life, though. My good looking on the outside and rotten on the inside being is my pickup truck. Sharon’s hubby said I should name him Charlie instead, but the silly thing keeps thumbing his bumper at me, so Wickham he shall remain. 😉

Thanks, Sharon! My kids don’t have Austen names either but that’s probably because they were born before I first discovered JAFF. Otherwise, who knows what might have happened!

And thanks for the encouragement on the third degree black belt. I tried for it last year and did not pass, and then a bunch of other stuff happened. Fast forward to now, and I’m finally getting the encouragement I need to try again. We’ll see how it goes.

Hi Elaine. I hope the job changes are good, or turn out to be. I’m very sorry to hear about your family member. Good luck with the black belt!!

That’s a great post. Very funny. I love the picture of ‘Wickham.’

I don’t think I’m obsessed with Jane Austen. No, really. I mean, not really . . . something like that. I’d say having tea time every day might count, but I’m sure that is only normal. Who doesn’t like tea time? And only a few of my t-shirts specifically mention Jane Austen or her work. Really 🙂

Thanks Summer! The job thing . . . well, it could be really good, or it might be that I will soon be joining the ranks of full time writer! Either outcome is workable, so I’m trying not to worry about it too much. My family member–a major test result is due back in the next week or so. And for the black belt, whatever will be, will be.

Or you try to download the latest JAFF on your electronic reader, and a message comes up saying, “I’m sorry, you have exceeded your storage limit for Jane Austen derivatives and variations. Please reconsider your reading choices and try again.”

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